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TAMiviANV Hall. 


A SKETCH OF ITS HISTORY. 

y 

/ 

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Nelson ^mith, of tJie New York Bar, and Chairman 
of the Tammany Hall General Committee. 

CHAPTER I. 

Introduction. 

This sketch is designed to show the rise and growth of Tammany 
Hall; the inspiration from which it drew its first breath of life ; the 
way it received its name ; the causes that brought it into existence ; 
what it has done ; what it stands for ; and the way it is organized. 

The sketch is not intended as a history of Tammany Hall. That 
would require volumes. It is not intended to give an account of the 
struggles of aspirants for mere place or position, but rather of the 
contests of principles for supremacy. 

The sketch does not profess to give a connected narrative of 
events in the history of the organization. It has been written, as it 
were, upon the spur of the moment, and more from the recollection 
of researches in the past than from present investigation. 

The story is believed to be truthful in all its details, and yet, as 
nobody is quite perfect in this world, the writer solicits the indulgence 
of kind readers and of opposing critics. 

CHAPTER H. 

The Ancient Chiee—Tammany. 

The name “Tammany” was derived from the celebrated Indian 
Chief Tammany, orTamanend, of the Delawares and of the Confed¬ 
eracy of the Lenni-Lenape. 

Tradition furnishes the most marvellous accounts of this famous 
chief—of his wisdom, his goodness, his justice, his forbearance, his 


By Ho7i. 


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22 


bravery, his struggles with the evil spirit, and, above all, of his love 
of liberty. 

It is said of him that he “ loved liberty better than life.'* 

But we are not left entirely to tradition ; we have some authentic 
history. 

It is reasonably certain that Tammany was present at the Great 
Council under the elm tree at Shakamaxon upon Penn’s first arrival 
in this country. History tells us that all the chiefs of the tribes of 
the Lenni-Lenape were there, and it is not at all probable that so 
distinguished a chief as Tammany would have been absent ; but, as 
no treaty was signed at this Council, the names of those present have 
not been preserved. The first treaty for the purchase of lands made 
by Penn with the Indians is dated April 23, 1683. Tammany was a 
party to this treaty, and by it he released his right to a tract of land 
lying between Pennepack and Neshamony Creeks. But in the great 
treaty made two years later. May 30, 1685, by which a large portion 
of Pennsylvania was acquired, the name of Tammany does not 
appear, and from this circumstance it is inferred that he must have 
died between these years. This opinion is strengthened by the fact 
that all accounts of him agree that he died shortly after Penn settled 
in this country. Penn himself, in speaking of him, says that he found 
him an old man, yet vigorous in mind and body, with high notions 
of liberty, but easily won by the suavity and peaceable address of the 
Governor. The Rev. John Heckewelder, a distinguished pioneer and 
Moravian Missionary—one of the first white men who penetrated the 
wilderness now comprised by the State of Ohio—says that when 
Colonel George Morgan, of Princeton, visited the Western Indians 
by order of Congress in 1776, he learned that Tammany was so be¬ 
loved for his goodness that the Delawares conferred upon him the 
title of their venerated chief; that Colonel Morgan brought back to 
the whites such glowing accounts of the qualities of this ancient 
chief, that the patriots of the Revolution dubbed him a saint, and 
inscribed his name on some of the calendars. Tammany societies 
were formed in his honor, and he was called St. Tammany, and 
adopted as the tutelar patron saint of Democratic America. 

Mr. Tossing, in his histories of the Revolution and of the War of 
1812, cites with approbation the account of Heckewelder, and it may 
be accepted as authentic history. 


« 


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SI'. TAMMANY, THE PATRON SAIN'I. 


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1 


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24 


Tammany was, without doubt, one of the most distinguished red 
men who ever lived. He was kind, merciful and brave. He taught 
his children to cultivate the arts of peace, as well as of war. Under 
his leadership the Confederacy of the Lenni-Lenape became powerful 
and mighty. He lived to a remarkable age—so great as to be called 
“ Tammany of many days.” He was looked upon as a patriarch, and 
reverenced with all the affection which the sons of the forest always 
bestowed upon their favorite chieftains. Such was the man whom 
the Sons of Liberty—the patriots of the Revolution—adopted as their 
tutelar saint, and who, while he cultivated peace with all men, would 
not submit to injustice, nor the loss of his liberty, nor of his rights, at 
the hands of any. 

CHAPTER HI. 

Tammany’s Farewell Address to the Children of his 

Tribes. 

When Tammany was very old, and was about to take his departure 

to the Spirit World, he made a farewell address to the Children of his 

several Tribes, which has been translated into P^nglish, and handed 

down bv tradition. It is as follows : 

¥ 

“ Childre.v of the First Tribe: The Ea^le should be your model. He 
soars above the clouds, loves the mountain tops, takes a broad survey of the country 
round, and his watchfulness in the day-time lets nothing escape him. From him 
learn to direct your thoughts to elevated objects, to rise superior to the logs of prej¬ 
udice and passion, to behold in the clear atmosphere of reason all things in their 
true light and posture, and never expose yourself to be surprised, while the sun shines, 
in a fit of drowsiness or slumber. 

“ Children OF THE Second Tribe : The Tiger affords a useful lesson for 
you. The exceeding agility of this creature, the extraordinary quickness of his sight, 
and, above all, his discriminating power in the dark, teach you to be stirring and active 
in your respective callings, to look sharp to every engagement you enter into, and to 
let neither misty days nor stormy nights make you lose sight of the worthy object of 
your pursuit. 

“ Children of the Third Tribe: You are to pay good attention to the 
qualities of the Deer. He possesses uncommon readiness of hearing—can judge of 
sounds at a great distance. In like manner open ye your ears to whatever is passing; 
collect the substance of distant rumors, and learn, before dangers surround your corn¬ 
fields and wigwams, what is going on at a distance. 

“ Children of the Fourth Tribe : There is one quality of the Wolf to 
which I would call your attention. His wide extent of nostrils catches the atoms 


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THE FIRST WIGWAM. CORNER OF NASSAU AND SPRUCE STREETS, 1798 
















































































































































































































































































































































26 


floating in the air, and gives him notice of the approach of his prey or his foe. Thus, 
when power grows rank, and like a contagion sends abroad its pestilent streams, I 
see the Wolf, like the myrmidons of Tammany, the first to rouse, turn his head, and 
snuff oppression in every breeze. 

“Children of the Fifth Tribe: You, my children, are to take useful hints 
of the Buffalo. He is one of the strongest animals in the wilderness; but strong 
as he is, he loves the company of his kind and is not fond of venturing upon distant 
excursions. This is wise in the buffalo, and wise it will be in you to imitate him. 
Operate in concert, stand together, support one another, and you will be a mountain 
that nobody can move; fritter down your strength in divisions, become the spirit of 
parties, let wigw^am be divided against wigwam, and you will be an ant-hill which a 
baby can kick over. 

“ Children OF THE Sixth Tribe: That social and valuable creature, the 
Dog, offers something for you to profit by. The warmth of his attachment, the dis¬ 
interestedness of his friendship, and the unchangefulness of his fidelity, mark him as 
the object of your kindness and imitation. Do but love each other with half the 
warmth, sincerity, and steadiness with which these, your constant hunting compan¬ 
ions, love you all, and happiness, comfort, and joy will make your land their dwell¬ 
ing-place, and ye shall experience all the pleasure that human nature can bear. 

“Children of the Seventh Tribe: You are to take pattern after the 
Beaver. His industry merits your regard. Forests must be cleared, hills leveled, 
rivers turned to accomplish your plans. Labor and perseverance overcome all 
things; for I have heard old people say their aneestors assisted in making the sun, 
immense as he appears, by collecting into a heap all the fire-flies and glow-vvorms 
they could find; and the moon, whose light is fainter and size smaller, was in like 
manner formed by gathering into a pile all the fox-fire or phosphoric rotten wood 
they could procure. 

“Children of the Eighth Tribe: The Squirrel, my children, offers 
something profitable to you. It is his practice, as he has a foresight of winter, to col¬ 
lect acorns, chestnuts, and walnuts, and carry them in large quantities to his hole. 
In like manner it becomes you to look forward to the winter of life, and have some 
provision necessary for yourselves at that needy time. This you may enjoy at your 
firesides, while all around you frost rends the trees asunder, and the white powder 
lies so thick upon the ground that you cannot venture out without your snow-shoes. 

“ Children of the Ninth Tribe : You are to learn a lesson from the Fox. 
He looks well before him as he travels, examines carefully the ground he treads upon, 
and takes good care that his enemies do not come upon him by surprise. Such keen 
examination will guard you from difficulties, and if, in the course of nature, you shall 
be, in spite of all this, beset by them, nothing will more effectually enable you to ex¬ 
tricate yourselves. 

“ Children of the Tenth Tribe : The Tortoise, who supports on his back 
the world we inhabit, offers a world of instruction to you. Was it not for his benev¬ 
olence in keeping afloat on the immense ocean in which he swims, this land we in¬ 
habit would soon go to the bottom ; and the displeasure he feels when men lead lives 










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28 


of idleness and vice, when they quarrel and injure their neighbors and families, has 
induced him more than once to dip a part of his shell under the water, and drown a set 
of wretches no longer fit to live. If, then, you wish to attain a long life, be honest, 
upright, and industrious. 

“ Children of the Eleventh Tribe ; I recommend to your attention the 
wholesome counsel derived to man from the Eel. He was never known to make a 
noise or disturbance in the world, nor to speak an ungentle sentence to a living creature. 
Slander never proceeded from his mouth, nor doth guile rest under his tongue. Are 
you desirous, my children, of modest stillness and quiet Would you like to live 
peaceably among men.^ If such be your desires, learn a lesson of wisdom from the 
Eel, who, although he knows neither his birth nor his parentage, but is cast an orphan 
upon creation, yet shows by his strength and numbers the excellence of the mode of 
life he has chosen. 

“ Children of the Twelfth Tribe: I shall point out for your improve¬ 
ment some excellent traits in the character of the Bear. He is distinguished for his 
patient endurance of those inconveniences which he finds it impossible to w^ard off. 
Thus, when scarcity threatens your country with famine, when diseases among the 
beasts strew your hunting grounds with carcases, when insects destroy your beans, 
and worms corrode the roots of your corn, when the streams refuse their accustomed 
supplies, or when the clouds .withhold their rain, bear with patience and resignation 
whatever necessity imposes upon you. Show yourselves men ; for it is adversity 
which gives scope to your talents. 

“Children of the Thirteenth Tribe: I call your attention to the 
economy of the Bee. You observe among those creatures a discipline not surpassed 
by anything the woods afford. Idlers, vagrants, and embezzlers of public property 
have no toleration there. Regularity and method prevade every department of, their 
government. Borrow from them an idea of arrangement in business; and, above 
all, derive from their instructive example that alchemy of mind, which, by an 
operation somewhat analogous to the production of nectar from venom, converts 
private feelings into public advantages, and makes even crimes and vices ultimately 
conducive to public good.” 


CHAPTER IV. 

Inspiration of Tammany in the Revolution. 

Tammany Hall commenced its career as a patriotic and quasi- 
political society, under the title of “ Tammany Society, or Columbian 
Order,” and soon developed into a political organization. Its first 
breath of life was drawn from the inspiration of the ancient Indian 
Chief whose name it bears. It may be said to have been born of 
the love of liberty and the spirit of independence. Its true office 
has ever been to maintain the great cause of human rights, and to 




29 


preserve the equal enjoyment of them. Its history is made up of 
the events which so largely enter into the history of our city, State 
and country, extending back to the scenes of the American Revolu¬ 
tion, and some of them ante-dating the Declaration of Independence, 
It appears to have been a part of the settled policy of Great Britain 



DEDICATION OF THE PRESENT WIGWAM. NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, 

JULY 4, iS68. 

while we, as American Colonists, were subject to her rule, to use us 
in every way possible to further her own interests at home. She 
regarded us as Fair Game.” She passed laws restricting our right 
to manufacture certain products, prohibiting the exportation of such 
of our products as would compete with her own manufactures, and 


# 





















30 


forbidding the importation into the colonies of any goods except of 
British manufacture, or in British ships. She even forbade, under 
heavy penalties, the carrying of certain products from one colony to 
another. 

We protested. She treated our protests with scorn. Among 
other things, she finally carried her policy of selfishness and oppression 
so far, that in 1765 she passed the infamous ‘‘Stamp Act.” By the 
provisions of this act all legal and mercantile documents and contracts, 
books, newspapers and pamphlets, were required to be written or 
printed on stamped paper upon which a duty was imposed, and which 
could be sold only by agents appointed by the British Government. 
This was too much. Indignation knew no bounds. The most violent 
opposition arose. The merchants and workmen not only in this city, 
but in other cities and throughout the country, organized societies 
called the “Sons of Liberty,’’ or the “Sons of Tammany.” These 
societies solemnly resolved to resist the execution of this obnoxious 
law, and they did resist its execution, not only in New York but 
in Boston and wherever its execution was attempted. Extreme 
measures were used and many acts of violence committed. These 
societies have been spoken of as mobs, but even so, they were mobs on 
the right side. Journals published the odious act with a Death’s 
Head in the place of the “ Royal Arms.” 

The opposition was so violent and so great, that the Stamp Act 
was soon repealed. The British Parliament, however, foolishly and 
insolently accompanied the repealing act with the declaration that it, 
of right, had the power to bind the colonies in “ all cases whatso¬ 
ever.” This declaration, and the act soon after passed, imposing a 
tax on tea, rekindled the fires of American liberty, and they never 
went out until American Independence was fully acknowledged, and 
the last British soldier had left American soil forever. 

It may be asked : How are the “ Sons of Liberty,” or the “ Sons 
of Tammany,” who played such an important part in the struggles of 
the Revolution, connected with the present Tammany Society or 
Tammany Hall? The answer is this ;—that the same love of liberty 
and spirit of independence that inspired the “ Sons of Liberty ” and 
the “Sons ofTammany^” in the scenes that preceded and attended 
the great War for Independence, inspired the organizers and pro¬ 
moters of the present Tammany Society ; and that many of the men 





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RICHARD CROKER. 


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who took part in the former were participants, as organizers or pro¬ 
moters of the latter. 


CHAPTER V. 

The Tammany Society, or Columbian Order. 

Soon after Great Britain had acknowledged our independence by 
the Treaty of Peace of 1783, it became apparent that the Articles of 
Confederation of 1777, under which the colonies had acted together 
during the war, were insufficient to preserve the union and to insure 
an efficient National government. The old Congress, by these articles, 
was little more than a General Committee of Delegates from the 
several States, who had not even the power to bind their principals. 
With few exceptions, they could do little more than recommend the 
adoption of such measures to the States as they thought the public 
welfare demanded. In these circumstances it was evident that some 
plan of general government must be devised with authority to act 
directly with reference to National affairs, and without consulting the 
States. 

Men differed as to what that plan of general government should 
be. It was this difference of opinion which produced the first organ¬ 
ized political parties in this State and Nation. Pending the formation 
and adoption of the Federal Constitution, it became apparent that 
despite the fact that we had, by the war, won a great victory for self- 
government and the preservation of the enjoyment of equal rights, 
yet there was a strong tendency to centralize the powers of govern¬ 
ment, and to build up an aristocracy. 

Alexander Hamilton, as leader, was the champion of this senti¬ 
ment. He and those acting with him favored the plan by which the 
power of government should be- consolidated at the centre, and 
thence distributed to the States. Hamilton proposed that the 
President and Senators of the United States should hold\)fifice during 
good behavior—practically for life; that Governors of States should 
be appointed by the President and Senate, and should have an 
unqualified veto of the acts of the State Legislatures. 

Hamilton and his associates were called Federalists, and through 
their efforts there was organized what was known in those days as 
the “ Federal party.” 



GRAND SACHEM THOMAS F. GILROY, MAYOR OF.THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 


3 












34 


Governor George Clinton was the leader of the opposing party—the 
Democratic party, although not then called by that name. They were 
opposed to centralizing authority, and were in favor of leaving it in 
the hands of the people to be exercised as the majority should 
direct. There were associated with Hamilton as the advocates of 
his views such men as John Jay, Chancellor Livingston, General 
Schuyler, of Albany, the Van Rensselaer family and others, the 
wealthiest people in the State, and with a most decided cast towards 
aristocracy. The Cincinnati Society was formed about this time with 
Baron Steuben, a wealthy land-owner, as President. That society 
strongly sympathized with the advocates of centralization. 

Governor Clinton, on the other hand, was in the grain and in 
principle a Democrat. He was one of the earliest friends of the 
American cause, was the first Governor of the State, had been repeat¬ 
edly re-elected, and had gone through all the struggles of the Revolu¬ 
tion. His father was an emigrant from Ireland, who had settled at 
Little Britain, Orange County, in this State, where the Governor 
himself was born. Robert Yates, afterward for a long time Chief 
Justice of the Supreme Court, John Lansing, subsequently Chan¬ 
cellor, and Melancthon Smith, and men of that stamp, were strong 
supporters of the Governor, and there is no doubt but that he then 
had a large majority of the people of the State who stood with 
him in opposition to the centralizing and aristocratic tendencies 
advocated by Hamilton. Even the adoption of the Federal 
Constitution, the formation of which was the result of a com¬ 
promise, and the election of Washington as first President did 
not wholly check the centralizing and aristocratic tendencies'which 
had sprung up. 

It was chiefly to oppose these tendencies and influences, and to 
maintain the cause of equal rights, that the Tammany Society, or 
Columbian Order, was formed. 

It was organized the I2th day of May, 1789, about two weeks 
after Washington had taken the oath of office as the first President of 
the United States. 

The organization occurred at the old City Hall, which stood at 
the foot of Nassau street and near Wall street. 

The first constitution of the Society expressed its object to be 
“ to connect in indissoluble bonds of friendship American brethren 


# 



JAMES J. MARTIN, PRESIDENT OF THE POLICE BOARD AND CHAIRMAN OF THE 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 







36 

of known attachment to the political rights of human nature and the 
liberties of the country.” 

Another object of the Society was to conciliate the numerous 
tribes of Indians, who were devastating the defenseless frontiers and 
carrying death and desolation, with fire and tomahawk, to the hearts 
of the intrepid pioneers. . Out of reverence to the memory of the 
venerated chief Tammany, and the better to cultivate friendly rela¬ 
tions with the Indian tribes, the Society adopted aboriginal forms, 
costumes and ceremonies. ^The year was divided into four seasons. 
December, January and February was the Season of Snows ; March, 
April and May, the Season of Blossoms ; June, July and August, the 
Season of Fruits ; September, October and November, the Season of 
Hunting ; and the seasons were divided into Moons. An event occur¬ 
ring on a given day, for instance, the Inauguration of Grover Cleve¬ 
land, the twenty-fourth President of the United States, on March 4, 
1893, would, according to its rules, be chronicled in this way : 

Manhattan, Season of Blossoms, 17th day of the 3d Moon, Year of 
Discovery the 401st, of Independence the 117th, and of the Institution 
of the Order the 104th. 

The members of the Society were originally divided into thirteen 
tribes, corresponding to the number of the original States, but that 
division has now substantially fallen into disuse. 

New York was the Eagle Tribe; Delaware, the Tiger; Virginia, 
the Deer; Georgia, the Wolf; North Carolina, the Buffalo ; Pennsyl¬ 
vania, the Bee; Connecticut, the Beaver; New Hampshire, the 
Squirrel ; Maryland, the Fox ; New Jersey, the Tortoise ; Massachu¬ 
setts, the Bear ; Rhode Island, the Eel, and South Carolina, the Dog, 
Formerly, when the members joined the Society, they either chose 
the tribe to which they proposed to belong, or were assigned to one 
by the Grand Sachem ; but this observance has now fallen into disuse. 
They are all now called “ Tigers,” or “Tammany Tigers,” probably 
from the characteristics which the great Chief Tammany, in his fare¬ 
well legendary address to the children of his several tribes, attributed 
to the Tiger. 

The Society elects annually thirteen Sachems, the number of the 
original thirteen States. ' One of them is^electe'd as the' Grand 
Sachem. This body forms the Council presided over by the Grand 
Sachem, which meets quarterly for the transaction of business. The 



SACHEM HENRY D. PURROY, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION. 


1 



38 


other officers of the Society are a Scribe, a Treasurer, a Sagamore 
and a Wiskinskie. The duty of the Scribe is to record the proceed¬ 
ings of the Society ; of the Sagamore, to take charge of its property, 
and of the Wiskinskie, to act as doorkeeper. 

Members of the Society, other than honorary, are proposed at one 
meeting, elected at the next, and initiated at the next. If they fail to 
appear in the regular order named, they cannot come up again within 
three months. They must have nearly a unanimous vote to be 
elected. The names of honorary members are inscribed on a roll 
separate from the names of the active members elected as above 
stated. At the initiation of the Grand Sachem the “ Et-hoh Song ” 
is sung, commencing : 

“ Brothers, our Council-fire shines bright, Et-hoh.” 

At the initiation of a member, a different one is sung, the first 
stanza of which is as follows : 

“ Sacred’s the ground where Freedom’s found. 

And Virtue stamps her name ; 

Our hearts entwine at Friendship’s shrine. 

And Union fans the flame. 

Our hearts, sincere. 

Shall greet you here. 

With joyful voice 
Confirm your choice. 

Et-hoh! Et-hoh ! Et-hoh ! 

Every member who proposes a person for initiation is required to 
vouch that he is a true patriot and firmly attached to the Constitu¬ 
tion of the United States. 

The credit of the organization of the Society has been generally 
ascribed to^William Mooney, the Society’s first Grand Sachem, and a 
noted citizen of Olden New York. Mooney was an Irishman by de¬ 
scent, an American by birth, and a leader among the “ Sons of Lib¬ 
erty,” or “ Sons of Tammany.” After the war he went into business* 
as an upholsterer, first on Nassau street, afterwards on Maiden lane, 
and still later on Chatham street. In 1805, sixteen years after its 
establishment, the Society was incorporated by an Act of the Legis¬ 
lature by the same name by which it was originally organized. The 
charter describes it as simply a charitable institution. 


V 







NELSON SMITH, CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERAL COMMIITEE. 








40 


The Society has frequently been the means of rendering assistance 
to needy and worthy objects. At its earlier meetings destitute pat¬ 
riots, their widows and orphans,’ were assisted; and since then it has 
freely given to relieve the misfortunes inflicted upon the members of 
the human family in this and other countries by disease, flood and 
famine. 

For a few years after the organization of the Society it had its 
temporary headquarters—wigwam—at Barden’s Tavern,” otherwise 
called the City Tavern,” in the lower part of Broadway. In I 79 ^ 
it established permanent headquarters at the southeast corner of 
Nassau and Spruce streets, in a low, wooden building, having an en¬ 
trance on Nassau street. The landlord of the establishment was 
Abraham B. Martling, familiarly called Brom ” Martling. This 
place was stigmatized by the Federalists by the name Pig-pen.” 
All the leading Democrats of the day were in constant attendance 
upon the meetings held there. In i 8 ii the Society took efficient 
measures to erect a suitable hall for a place of meeting. Two at¬ 
tempts had been previously, but ineffectually, made—one in 1792, and 
the other in 1802. But at this time, by the efficient exertion of Col. 
Rogers and others, the sum of $28,000 was subscribed, and the corner¬ 
stone of the new hall was laid, on the southwest corner of Frankfort 
and Nassau streets, on the 13th day of May, 1811. Abraham M. 
Valentine was grand marshal of the day. The members of the So¬ 
ciety wore the bucktail in their hats, as usual, marched in Indian file, 
and appeared in Aboriginal costume. Clarkson Crolius was the Grand 
Sachem. He laid the corner-stone, and made a short and spirited ad¬ 
dress to the Sachems, warriors and members present, telling them that 
here they would hereafter meet to recount to the young warriors and 
hunters the virtuous and heroic deeds of their fathers. Alpheus Sher¬ 
man delivered the oration. The hall was speedily finished, and in the 
next year, 1812, was first occupied as the regular wigwam of the 
Society, and continued the headquarters of the Democracy until 1867, 
when the Society erected the new Tammany Hall, the present wig¬ 
wam, on the north side of Fourteenth street, between Irving place 
and Third avenue, which it has ever since occupied, and which ib still 
the headquarters of the Democracy of the City of New York. 



MICHAEL T. DALY. COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS 


: ■ -IWlJI; _ 







42 

CHAPTER VI. 

Tammany Braves and the Creek Indian Chiefs. 

In 1790 there occurred one of the most interesting events in the 
annals of the Society, which illustrates the benefits of one of the pur¬ 
poses for which it was founded. 

The Creek Indians in the Carolinas and Georgia were continually 
harassing the white settlers in those States, and the Government had 
tried, but in vain, to form a treaty of friendship with them. An in¬ 
genious plan was devised in February, 1790, to lure their great Chief, 
Alexander McGillivray, an educated half-breed, to New York City, 
for the purpose of making a treaty of peace with him, and thereby 
avert the calamities of war. On the lOth of March, Washington had 
an interview with Col. Marinus Willett, who promised to undertake 
the mission to the Creeks. On the ist of July the President received 
official information that Willett was on his return, accompanied by 
McGillivray and twenty-eight of his principal Chiefs and warriors, and 
had advanced as far as Hopewell, in South Carolina. Messages were 
at once sent to the Governors of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsyl¬ 
vania, requesting them to show every possible attention to the travel¬ 
ers, at the public expense. 

Their arrival in New York created a sensation. The members of 
the Tammany Society, arrayed in Indian costume, went out to meet 
them with the military, and escorted them to the house of Secretary 
Knox, where they were received with great ceremony. They were 
then taken and introduced to Washington, and then to Governor 
Clinton, after which they were taken by the Tammany Sachems to 
the temporary wigwam at “ Barden’s Tavern.” 

It is related that directly upon the Indian Chief McGillivray seeing 
the Tammany Braves, he took to the wigwam “ like a duck to water ” ; 
from which some observing critic has suggested that McGillivray 
must have been born a Democrat. 

McGillivray and his Associate Chiefs remained in the city for 
nearly six weeks. A military review by Washington for their benefit 
occurred on Col. Cruger’s grounds, July 27, which was attended by 
the prominent men of the day, including Jefferson, then Secretary of 
State, Gov. Clinton, and a large array of officers in full uniform. 

On the 2d of August the Indian Chiefs were entertained with a 



43 


great banquet, at which were present all the notable statesmen of the 
time. The Tammany Braves enlivened the occasion with songs, and 
the Creek Sachems danced. The orators of both parties made long 
speeches, and wine flowed freely. 

Washington dined several of the Chiefs one day at his own table, 
and after the meal invited them to walk down Broadway. They were 
taken to the Tammany Wigwam, where a full sized portrait of Mc- 
Gillivray, painted by Trumbull, the artist, was on exhibition. The 
Indians, upon beholding it, stood stiff and mute with astonishment. 
McGillivray advanced and touched the cold, flat surface with his hand, 
and exclaimed “ Ugh !” Each of the others slowly followed his ex¬ 
ample, and all turned away, suspicious of the art which had imprinted 
a great chief, dressed for battle and standing beside his war horse, 
upon a strip of canvas. 

Secretary Knox, after some time spent in preliminaries, succeeded 
in negotiating a satisfactory treaty, which was ratified in Federal 
Hall, with great ceremony, on the 13th of August. Washington and 
his suite appeared at noon of that day in the Hall of Representatives, 
and presently the Tammany Sachems ushered in McGillivray and his 
Chiefs, adorned with their finest feathers. The treaty was read and 
interpreted, and the President, in a short, forcible speech, explained 
the justice of its various provisions, to each of which the Indian 
potentates grunted approval. McGillivray made a short speech in 
reply. The treaty was duly signed. Washington presented the 
Chieftain with a string of wampum, for a memorial, with a paper of 
tobacco as a substitute for the ancient calumet, and then came a gen¬ 
eral shaking of hands, and the ceremonies were concluded by a “ Song 
of Peace,” in which the Tammany Sachems and the Creek Indians 
joined in their own peculiar fashion. 

CHAPTER VH. 

Tammany’s Celebration of the 300TH Anniversary of the 

Discovery of America. 

On the 12th day of October, 1792, the Tammany Society, or 
Columbian Order, celebrated the 300th anniversary of the discovery 
of America by Columbus—the first celebration of the event in this 
country. 

The following account of the celebration is taken from the address 




44 


of Edward F. De Fancy, delivered October 4 ? 1892, before the 
New York Historical Society : 

On October 10, 1792, each member received the following notice: The mem¬ 
bers of the Tammany Society, or Columbian Order, are hereby notified that an extra 
meeting will be held in the Wigwam, the 12th inst., at seven o’clock, to celebrate 
the third century since the discovery of America by Columbus. 

By order of the Grand Sachem, 

Benjamin Strong, 

October 10, 1792. Scribe. 

The society accordingly met at the Wigwam, and an address was delivered by 
Mr. John B. Johnston, which was followed by a dinner and the drinking of appro¬ 
priate toasts. Previous to the meeting there was displayed at the Wigwam an 
illuminated monument in honor of Columbus, erected by the Society. The following 
is an account of it, and the celebration, written at the time, which is of more interest 
than any briefer statement of my own: 

“ New York, October 17, 1792. 

The 12th inst., being the commencement of the IV. Columbian Century, 
was observed as a Century Festival by the Tammany Society, and celebrated in 
that style of sentiment which distinguishes this social and patriotic institution. In 
the evening a monument was erected to the memory of Columbus, ornamented by 
transparency with a variety of suitable devices. 

This beautiful exhibition was exposed for the gratification of the public curiosity 
some time previous to the meeting of the society. 

An elegant oration was delivered by Mr. John B. Johnston, in which several of 
the principal events in the life of this remarkable man were pathetically described, 
and the interesting consequences, to which his great achievements had already con¬ 
ducted, and must still conduct the affairs of mankind, were pointed out in a manner 
extremely satisfactory. 

During the evening’s entertainment, a variety of rational amusements were 
enjoyed. The following are some of the toasts which were drank : 

‘ The memory of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of this new world.’ 

‘ May the new world never experience the vices and miseries of the old ; and be a 
happy asylum for the oppressed of all nations and of all religions. ’ 

‘ May peace and liberty ever pervade the United Columbian States.’ 

‘ May this be the last centenary festival of the Columbian Order that finds a slave 
on this globe.’ 

‘ May the fourth century be as remarkable for the improvement and knowledge 
of the riglits of man, as the first was for discovery and the improvement of nautic 
science.’ 

‘ May the deliverers of America never experience that ingratitude from their 
country which Columbus experienced from his King.’ 

‘ May the genius of liberty, as she has conducted the sons of Columbia with glory 
to the commencement of the fourth century, guard their fame to the end of time.’ 



JOHN J. GORMAN, SHERIFF OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK AND FATHER 
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TAMMANY SOCIETY. 


i: 











48 


scene. Above, the prone eagle supports the arms of Isabella, and on the pedestal is 
the following inscription : 

COLUMBUS 

WAS BORN AT GENOA, 

1447; 

WAS RECEIVED BY THE COURT OF SPAIN 
IN TRIUMPH, 

1493; 

WAS PUT IN CHAINS BY ITS ORDER, 

SEPTEMBER, I 500 ; 

DIED AT VALLADOLID 
MAY 20, 1506. 

The last scene, exhibited on the rear, or fourth, side of the obelisk, strongly con¬ 
trasts with the one just described ; Columbus is seen in his chamber pensive and 
' neglected. The chains with which he had been cruelly loaded hang against its bare 
walls, on which is seen written, “ The ingratitude of Kings.” To cheer his declining 
moments, the Genius of Liberty appears before him : the glory which surrounds him 
seems to illuminate his solitary habitation. The emblems of despotism and super¬ 
stition are crushed beneath her feet; and, to intimate the gratitude and respect of 
posterity, she points to a monument, sacred to his memory, reared by the Columbian 
Order. On the pedestal. Nature is seen caressing her various progeny; her tawny 
offspring seem to mourn over the urn of Columbus. The upper part of the obelisk is 
embellished as on the other sides. But the eagle, as an emblem of civil government, 
is seen no longer prone, or loaded with the decorations of heraldry : she soars in an 
open sky, grasping in her talons a ferule, inscribed, 

THE RIGHTS OF MAN. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Tammany Society and the Victims of British Prison Ships 

AT THE WALLABOUT. 

(In part from Valentine’s Manual, 1845.) 

After many attempts to induce Congress to take action, the Tam.- 
many Society, in 1808, determined to perform a duty of patriotism 
which will ever be recalled in its honor. 

Since the Revolution, the bones of those who died on board of the 
prison ships at the Wallabout, had been permitted to bleach upon the 
shore. 

This inhumanity has been often censured in the severest terms. 
From the most reliable accounts not less than 11,500 souls perished 
on board the various ships which were moored in the East River, 







SACHEM WILLIAM H. CLARK, COUNSEL TO THE CORPORATION, 

CITY OF NEW YORK. 











50 


while the British, during the Revolution, had possession of New 
York. 

It has been related that Paine predicted that before America would 
submit to the unjust demands upon her by Great Britain, the bones of 
three millions of her citizens would whiten the shores of their country, 
and the bones of 11,500 had indeed whitened the shores of the Walla- 
bout. 

It is not intended at this time to describe their sufferings, but we 
cannot refrain from making a short extract from the poem of Philip 
Freneau, the cleverest bard of our Revolutionary era, and the room¬ 
mate in college of President Madison, which so forcibly and point¬ 
edly tells the story of their woes : 

“ Each day at least six carcases we bore, 

And scratched them graves along the sandy shore. 

By feeble hands the shallow graves were made— 

No stone memorial o’er their corpses laid, 

In barren sands and far away from home they lie— 

No friend to shed a tear in passing by. 

O’er the mean tombs insulting Britons tread. 

Spurn at the sand, and curse the rebel dead.” 

To collect the bones of these martyrs and provide a suitable place 
for their deposit was the object to which the Tammany Society 
addressed itself. 

In making improvements near the Navy Yard, a number of casks 
and boxes had been filled with these remains and preserved by John 
Jackson, Esq., for interment. A great many persons had repeatedly 
suggested that some suitable place should be provided for them. 

The Tammany Society took up the subject as early as 1803, and 
finally, in 1807, no action having been taken by Congress, appointed 
a committee called the “ Wallabout Committee ” to take measures 
for canying the long contemplated design of interment into effect. 

The Wallabout Committee reported in February, 1808, and imme¬ 
diately measures were taken to carry into effect their suggestions. The 
corner-stone of the tomb was laid on the 13th of April, 1808, when a 
grand and imposing procession was formed under the direction of 
Major Aycregg, Grand Marshal. The military companies and civic 
societies united with the Tammany, and proceeded to the spot, where 
Joseph D. Fay, Esq., the orator of the day, delivered an eloquent and 



CONGRESSMAN W. BOURKE COCKRAN 





























52 


impassioned oration. Referring to those who had perished for the 
love they bore their country, he said : 

“ On this day we lay the corner-stone of their tomb. Their ashes 
hitherto have been blown about like summer’s dust in the whirlwind. 
But a marble column shall rise on this spot and tell to future ages the 
story that they had to choose death or slavery, and that they nobly 
elected the former. The curious mariner shall point to it in silent 
admiration, as he passes at a distance, and posterity shall call it the 
tomb of the patriots.” 

The vault being completed, the Society fixed on the 25th of May 
of the same year for consigning the bones to their final resting place ; 
but the ceremony was postponed, on account of a storm, until the 
next day, when one of the largest and most magnificent funeral pag¬ 
eants which this city has ever witnessed took place. Garret Sickles 
was the Grand Marshal of the day. The first feature in the procession 
was a trumpeter, mounted on a black horse, carrying in his hand a 
black flag, upon which was inscribed in letters of gold : “ Mortals, 

Avaunt! 11,500 spirits of the martyred brave ; approach the tomb of 
honor, of glory, of virtuous patriotism.” 

Then followed the military, under command of Brigadier-General 
Morton, and immediately after the Wallabout Committee, each mem¬ 
ber with a bucktail in his hat. Then came the Tammany Society, 
headed by Benjaman Romaine, Grand Sachem, with all the insignia 
of their Order, making a most impressive display. 

The Municipal Governments of New York and Brooklyn came 
next. 

EfeWitt Clinton was then Mayor of the City—follow*ed by the Gov¬ 
ernor of the State, D. D. Tompkins, and Lieutenant-Governor John 
Broome, members of Congress, Military and Naval Officers of the 
United States, and, finally, all the various civic societies of the city. 

The procession proceeded through the then principal streets, 
crossed to Brooklyn and moved to the vault in Hudson Avenue, near 
York Street, which was to contain the remains of the patriot dead. 

Dr. Benjamin De Witt delivered the oration, which he had pre¬ 
pared at the request of the Tammany Society. After its conclusion, 
the coffins were deposited in the tomb, and the procession returned 
to the city. 

In performing this act, the Tammany Society felt the disgrace 


I 

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CONGRESSMAN JOHN R. FELLOWS. 




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54 


which justly attached to our country for the neglect which it showed 
to the memory of these departed patriots, and they determined to 
wipe away the stain. 

It is to be hoped that a suitable monument may yet be erected 
in honor of the martyred dead, and that Congress may be inspired to 
perform this patriotic duty. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Tammany Hall and the War of 1812. 

' Tammany Hall was a vigorous supporter of the War of 1812, and, 
during the war, the Wigwam was the headquarters of those in this 
State who favored its energetic prosecution. Upon several occasions, 
when this city was threatened with an attack from British troops, the 
members of the Tammany Society offered their services to the Com¬ 
mittee of Defense, and repaired in a body to the forts, and performed 
patriotic labor in the work of building intrenchments at Harlem, at 
Brooklyn Heights, and at Greenwich Barracks. 

The'principles involved in the war, and maintained by the United 
States, were the very ones for which the Sons of Liberty and the 
Sons of Tammany had fought in the Revolution, and to promote 
which the Tammany Society had been organized. The American 
Revolution had only given the people of the United States their 
independence on land. Great Britain, after the Treaty of Peace of 
1783, still claimed and exercised arbitrary power on the sea, not only 
against us, but against all nations. 

The immediate cause of the war was this : It transpired that in 
the long wars between Great Britain and France, growing out of the 
French Revolution, commencing in 1793, and continuing, with slight 
intermission, for more than twenty years, the ranks of the British 
forces had become thinned on both land and sea, and the commanders 
of British warships found our merchant vessels a convenient recruit¬ 
ing ground. 

The high-handed man-stealing operations were conducted in this 
wise: A British cruiser, short of men, would bring to and board an 
American vessel engaged in lawful commerce, under the pretence of , 
the right of search for goods contraband of war, and, once aboard. 



COL. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN, PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK BOARD OF ALDERMEN 
Son of the Late Gen. George B, McClellan, of the Army of the Potomac. 








56 


the British officers would seize American seamen, on the alleged 
ground that they were British subjects. 

The British claim was this : That a person once a British subject 
was always a British subject; that he could not, by any act of his 
own, nor by any act of any other nation, ever release himself from his 
allegiance to the British Crown. In other words, Great Britain denied 
the right of expatriation, and insisted that the circumstance of the 
birth of a person under the British flag made him a subject and slave 
to the British Crown forever, and that, as every nation, for its own 
preservation, had the right to enforce the services of its own citizens 
or subjects, which was not denied, she had the right to seize her 
subjects wherever she could find them. 

Great Britain also claimed the right to seize and confiscate our mer¬ 
chant vessels for trading with France, her enemy, although not able,, 
herself, to maintain a blockade of French ports. 

The United States earnestly, but unavailingly, protested against 
these high-handed wrongs. We had, from almost the beginning, 
adopted as our national policy, that our ships on the high seas were 
to be regarded as within our exclusive jurisdiction—as if a part of our 
territory—not subject to invasion or search, nor our seamen in an}^ 
case liable to seizure; and that any foreigner, after five years’ resi¬ 
dence and compliance with certain forms, might renounce his alle¬ 
giance to the nation of his birth, and become a citizen of the United 
States as completely as if he were native born. 

Great Britain, however, had never recognized the correctness of 
our policy, notwithstanding it was founded upon the great doctrine 
of natural rights and of universal liberty. Under her claim our entire 
merchant marine was placed in constant jeopardy. Any merchant 
vessel engaged in lawful commercial pursuits was liable, at any mo¬ 
ment, in any part of the broad expanse of the ocean, to be boarded 
and overhauled by a British cruiser short of men. The only judges 
to determine respecting the national character of any seaman, whether 
he was a British subject, were the British commanders themselves, 
and there was no appeal from their decision. 

There never was any way to obtain exact information of the whole 
number of American seamen stolen by British cruisers ; but, from the 
best official estimate, they numbered in the aggregate, before the 
war was declared, nearly as many as would be sufficient to man the 
whole British navy at that day. 






REGISTER FERDINAND LEVY 





1 


58 

Before declaring open war, we exhausted every other means to 
stop the high-handed outrages. 

In 1806, by the advice of Jefferson, who was then President, Con¬ 
gress passed what was called the “Non-Importation Act,” and in 
1807 the “ Embargo Act.” The Non-Importatk)n Act prohibited the 
importation of British goods. The Embargo Act prohibited all ves¬ 
sels in the ports of the United States from sailing for any foreign port, 
except foreign ships in ballast, or with cargoes taken on board be¬ 
fore notification of the Act, and coastwise vessels were required to 
give heavy bonds to land their cargoes in the United States. 

But these measures did not stop British outrages. They went on 
as before, and in 1812 Congress declared war against Great Britain. 

The quarrel itself was attended with varying results during its 
progress. We invaded Canada ; the British captured, sacked and 
burned Washington. The victories and defeats, as respects the con¬ 
tending armies, were very nearly equally divided. 

The Southern, Western and Middle States, including New York, 
of course, and Tammany Hall, as standing in the front ground, 
favored a vigorous prosecution of the war. The Eastern States 
opposed it, and it is related that extremists in Massachusetts sang 
songs for a return to the British flag. The meeting called the 
“ Hartford Convention ” was held in opposition to the war ; it was a 
disgraceful affair. 

Under the severe pressure of the opposition, a treaty of peace, not 
creditable to the United States, was concluded at Ghent on the 24th 
of December, 1814. which omitted any guaranty against the search 
of American vessels, or the seizure and impressment of American 
seamen, or any other provision against a recurrence of the outrages 
for which the war had been waged. But, as if by the hand of Provi- 1 
dence, intelligence of this treaty of peace, neither steam nor elec- I 
tricity having been utilized, did not reach American or British gen- * 
erals in this country until the Battle of New Orleans had been fought, 
January 8, 1815. 

That battle was a decisive battle. The victory won by Gen. 
Jackson, in its results, was a complete guaranty against the search of 
American vessels, or the impressment of American seamen, as com¬ 
pletely so, in fact, as if the previous treaty had contained most 
explicit provisions against such-depredations. Great Britain never 










6 o 




renewed her claim of the right of seizure and impressment upon the 
high seas, and has since acknowledged the justice of the American 
claim, and it has, by common consent, as it were, become the estab¬ 
lished law of nations. 

The result of the war of 1812 may be said to have secured the 
enjoyment of equal rights upon the sea, freed from the depredations 
of any one country as against another. The right of expatriation is 
acknowledged by Great Britain, and almost, if not universally, by all 
nations. 

All honor to Tammany Hall for the part it played in support of 
that great war, by which our independence was achieved on the sea, 
as it had previously been on the land. General Jackson’s victory at 
New Orleans gave the Democracy the ascendancy for over a quarter 
of a century. 


CHAPTER X. 

Tammany Hall the Champion of the Cause of the 

Masses. 

V 

Space will not admit of more than a brief mention of many of the 
other achievements of Tammany Hall, as a patriotic or political or¬ 
ganization, in fostering the love of liberty and the spirit of National 
Independence, and in maintaining the cause of the masses. 

The Tammany Society was the first to celebrate Washington’s 
birthday after his inauguration as President in 1789. 

It has never omitted the celebration of the birthday of our National 
Independence — the 4th of July — and, as is believed, is the only 
Society in the United States which has always performed that patri¬ 
otic duty. 

The first Constitution of the State, adopted in 1777, had limited 
the right to vote by a property qualification, whereby the great mass 
of the people stood disfranchised. The influence of Tammany Hall 
was exerted in the most successful way in framing the Constitutions 
of 1821 and 1846, extending the ballot and establishing the system 
of manhood suffrage, as we have it in this State to-day. 

At different times and by various names, such as “ American 
Party,” “ Know-Nothing Party,” and others, which need not now b( 



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